Trans-Mongolian Railway

Hi fellow travellers

I am planning to travel on the Trans-Mongolian railway in mid to late September.

I want to stop in Mongolia and do a homestay with a nomadic family. From Mongolia, I want to stop in Irkutsk/Lake Baikal in Russia, then finally Moscow.

1) I am told I would need to buy separate train tickets for each leg of my trip ie Beijing to Ullanbatad, Ullanbatad to Irkutsk, and Irkutsk to Moscow. I plan to only book in advance the train ride from Beijing to Ullanbatad. Does anyone know how easy it is to purchase tickets in Ullanbatad and Irkutsk for the rest of the Trans-Mongolian train ride?

2) Has anyone done a homestay in Mongolia? Does anyone know how easy it is to organise this in Ullanbatad? I am trying to do this by myself, rather than join a tour to save costs.

3) What currency should I carry for the train ride?

Thanks for your help in advance.

Regards
Selina

First, the capital of Mongoila is Ulan Bator, sometimes spelled Ulaan Baator or other variations of this and often referred to on this forum as UB.

1. Beijing to UB must be purchased through a travel agency and cannot be obtained at the train station. Try CITS or Richard Tian and his associates of Ocean Travel. Try searching this forum for emails. I would provide them but I am not on my computer.

UB to Irkutsk has several options. There is a daily slow train which takes 40+ hours. Schedule is the same each day, depending upon when you plan to travel you should not have problems purchasing tickets for this train on arrival in UB. If for some reason, there are no berths available there is a daily bus from UB to Ulan Ude, Russia which actually takes less time and is cheaper.

There is also an express train which takes less time. It operates twice a week from UB to Moscow, stopping in Irkutsk and once a week from Beijing passing through UB and heading to Moscow. It takes less time and thus is more likely to be booked.

1. Homestay in Mongolia? In UB most people stay in guesthouses or hostels which cost 5-10 USD per night. If you mean to stay in a ger then try gertoger.com

2. Carry US dollars or euros. You can change yuan easily at the border crossings if necessary.

Ruth

Many thanks. What about from Irkutsk to Moscow? Can I easily re-join ie buy another train ticket in Irkutsk for Irkutsk to Moscow ?

Thanks.

No problem to purchase ticket to Moscow,but I would stop at various places along the way.Decide what city you will stop only buy ticket to there.Soon as you arrive purchase ticket for next destination for several days later.We travelled all across Russia this way,usually two days each stop.This way don,t have to register.Often slept at train stations upstairs which was fine and clean.Also travelled platskarty,was great,no problems what so ever.We don,t speak any Russian.Again don,t hesitate to get off the train,majority of travellers we met went straight through.

Irkutsk to Moscow is a looong trip. There is at least one train per day that goes this route that isn't a passenger train taking forever. Some days there are more than one train.

Learn to use poezda.net which has pages in English to see schedules or rzd.ru which has ticket availabilty and prices but is only in Russian.

Ruth

Hi

Many thanks for your replies.

One of my main interest is to stay and camp with a nomad family in Mongolia in the plains.

Do you know if and how I can arrange this from Ullanbata or elsewhere in Mongolia or online?

Regards
Selina

Sorry, also am trying to organize the letter of invitation to apply for the Russian visa. Short of booking a hotel, does anyone know what is the best, cheapest and easiest way to get this letter of invitation? Way to Russia is mentioned to me. Is it reliable? Many thanks.

1. Re: Russian visa - way to russia is an information service. They link to visatorussia.com which is very reliable. visatorussia.com will tell you whether their invitation will be acceptable with yuor passport in the location at which you intend to apply. If you provide your passoprt and information regarding where you intend to apply, I can provide more useful information about the process.

Two other reliable companies are realrussia.co.uk and nevsky88.com

1. For Mongolia for homestay in ger with nomads, try gertoger.com. Contact them now rather than waiting until you arrive.

Ruth

Ruth, thanks so much for ALL the info! You are fantastic.

Yes I have contacted visa to russia. I am Australian citizen but I have been travelling for over a year and have not been home. I am also a permanent resident in Hong Kong and am in Hong Kong now to organize visas. I have looked at the website of the Russian Consulate General in HK. It doesn't look too onerous, the main thing is that I need the letter of invitation.

Oh I tried gertoger.com but nothing comes up. Maybe they changed the website address or name? Do you know?

Many thanks again
Selina

oops. gertoger.org

Ruth

hi, as we go often in mongolia and we go again from 12 to 12 october we can give you information about a triop there and have monady homestay are you aren't the first to asked me this and if you contact our friend there who is serious and honnest he can provide for this. so you will be able to stay as long you want in the family and didive the life of them. don^t worry it will not a family who know english and will give you breakfast as you was in your home only authentic!!

so just contact mejet69@yahoo.com and explain him what you need and want to do and so he can if you want pick you free in your arrivcal, can lodge you in small guest house and provide for more if necessary all will do as you want nothing will be asked you to do or to buy as service!

MORE? just look at http://www.terramongolia.com and find more information about mongolia andwhat to do and how to have homestay

have nice trip, maybe we'll me there in Gengis khan land????

Many many thanks, really appreciate everyone's help. Safe travels. Regards Selina

The price of train ticket from UB to Irkutsk is around 60USD,
and from Irkutsk to Mocow the train becomes domestic so the price must be very good.

maybe you can contact UB Guesthouse ( www.ubguest.com) about the ticket booking.

I can't seem to get a straight answer about applying for Mongolian visa in Beijing. The website is also not so clear to me.

Has anyone applied for their Mongolian visa in Beijing? If I pay extra for 'express' service, do I get my visa on the same day? Do you need an invitation for a tourist visa?

Thanks.

When asking questions about visas you need to indicate your passport as well as where you intend to apply.

OTOH had you searched this forum you would have discovered on this thread that you can obtain a Mongolian visa in Beijing.

Ruth

Another thread: Visa - here we go again

Ruth

Has anyone had any problem entering Russia because he/she does not hold an onward ticket (leaving Russia)?

I won't have an onward ticket because I am planning to get my train/bus ticket to Estonia when I get to St Petersburg. Visa to Russia says passport control officers never check tickets of 'respectable tourists'.

Any comment or suggestion?

Lots of people enter Russia without onward tickets because they are taking the train to China, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, the Baltics, Finland, etc.

OTOH I am pretty sure that you can buy your ticket for the bus from Petersburg to Tallinn online on the website of the bus company. Try eurolines or ecolines.

Ruth

3) What currency should I carry for the train ride?

definitely Russian Rubels: the train we took to Moscow from Beijing had a terrible, pathetic and very expensive dining car. so we survived off the food that you can buy outside when the train stops, which had to be payed in Rubels...

• Laura

Ruth

HELP! I have made it to Moscow. The Trans-Mongolian trip was awesome!!! Especially love Mongolia.

My question is, I can't seem to find my departure card for Russia. (When I crossed the border into Russia, I filled in an
arrival card and departure card, the arrival card was taken and the departure card was given to me.) Showing
my passports to hostels in Irkutsk and Lake Baikal, the departure card might have fallen out from my passport, I don't know. Anyway, I can't seem to find it. Do you know if this is going to cause any trouble? I asked the agency Visa to Russia, they said losing the 'migration card' is a violation of the law and they suggested that I leave Russia as soon as
possible! I hope the 'migration card' is something else!

Any idea or suggestion?

Many thanks
Selina

The migration card is the arrival/ departure card. You will have to go to your embassy for assistance in this matter. Sometimes they will provide a letter in Russian explaining that it was lost during your travels.

It is a violation of the law not to have your migration card but whether you need to leave immediately or not I can't say.

Ruth

FYI, I left Russia without any problem.

I contacted the Australian embassy who suggested that I go to the visa office in Moscow/St Petersburg. That was what I did, but I was simply told by an officer at the visa office that it is not a problem, I would simply be given a new departure/migration card to fill out when I leave the country. And that was exactly what happened.

Safe travels.

Thanks for the follow up. Glad to hear that things went without a hitch.

Ruth

_Flights between Beijing and Ulaanbator next April_

On the evening of Sunday 18 April 2010, I need to fly from Beijing to Ulaanbator. I have tried looking at Air China, Miat, Aeroflot websites to get info about flights, but had no joy. Can anyone advise me of times of flights, cost, and duration of flight? Also, how long does it take to get from UB to Irkutsk? What are the quickest/best options while also seeing some of the countryside?

Does anyone know what a rail ticket would cost from Irkutsk to Moscow if purchased in Irkutsk?
Thanks
Anniegranny

1. The flight you want is not current possible.
   At the present time, MIAT does not operate a flight on Sunday and the only Air China flight on that date is NOT in the evening.
   Air China 902
   11:10 am Depart Ulan Bator (ULN)
   Arrive Beijing (PEK) 1:25 pm Sun 18-Apr
   Duration: 2hr 15mn
   Cost currently is probably 325-350 USD.

2. UB to Irkutsk depends upon how you travel, the date of travel, etc.
   a. The fast international train will take about 22 hours for the #3 which departs UB on Thursdays or the #5 which departs of Tuesdays and Fridays.
   b. The daily international passenger train takes about 37 hours
   c. The daily bus from UB to Ulan Ude takes about 12-13 hours and then you can take a train for 7-8 hours to Irkutsk
   d. I don't think there are any direct flights between these two cities.

3. I have given you all the options. Not sure that there is much to see from the window of either the train or the bus on the route from UB to Irkutsk

4. Price for the rail tickets for Irkutsk to Moscow will depend upon the date traveled (there are seasonal flucutations), the class of service (luks, kupé or platzkartney), whether or not meals are included, which particular train (fast with service, fast without service, passenger, etc) To see what I mean about the extreme variations in price take a look at the example of train fares in #7 of the New RU Train sticky.

Ruth

Thank you Ruth for your help, I have discovered lots of very helpful information on your site - many thanks, as I am new to all of this!